Journalist arrested in Somaliland on return from Mogadishu released this morning
| Publisher | Reporters Without Borders |
| Publication Date | 11 July 2017 |
| Cite as | Reporters Without Borders, Journalist arrested in Somaliland on return from Mogadishu released this morning, 11 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5964cbcf4.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Omar Ali Hassan (Goobjoog) was freed in this morning without charges. He had been arrested arbitrarily in Somaliland on his return from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on 8 July. He has spent 3 days in illegal detention.
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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls for the immediate release of Omar Ali Hassan, a journalist who was arrested arbitrarily in the breakaway northwestern region of Somaliland on 8 July on his return from the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Also known as Omar Serbia, Omar Ali Hassan reports for the Mogadishu-based radio and TV station Goobjoog. He was arrested shortly after landing at the airport in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, which unilaterally declared its independence in 1991.
"We condemn the illegal detention of Omar Serbia, who was arrested without any grounds being given, said Clea Kahn-Sriber, the head of RSF's Africa desk. His arrest is a result of the criminalization of journalists who cover neighbouring Somalia. We urge Somaliland's authorities to free him at once and to respect media freedom in their territory, in accordance with the country's laws."
As RSF reported at the time, freelance journalist and blogger AbdulMalik Muse Oldon was arrested in a similar fashion at Hargeisa airport in February on his return from a visit to Mogadishu, where he met the Somali president. He was sentenced to two years in a prison on charges of publishing false news and inciting public unrest.
Somalia is ranked 167th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
